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Star Wars Galaxies fans threaten lawsuit

Star Wars Galaxies fans aren't going to take the game shutdown quietly. In fact, some are proposing legal action.

What do you do when things don't go out of your way? File a lawsuit, of course. VentureBeat reports that "a number of Star Wars Galaxies players" have written the site, saying they want to file a lawsuit against Sony Online Entertainment. The reason? The company is shutting down the diminishing MMO.

Of course, VentureBeat properly notes that there's "zero chance" for this to gain support, because the end-user license agreement for the game affords Sony the ability to shut down the game:

We may also terminate this Agreement if we decide, in our sole discretion, to discontinue offering the Game, in which case we may provide you with a prorated refund of any prepaid amounts.

Sony is following through with that aspect of the agreement, giving users pro-rated refunds for any subscription time after October 15th. The game will operate for free until it closes at year's end. Afterwards, Sony is likely hoping that many players will consider an "All Access" pass, which grants access to SOE's other MMOs for a discounted rate.

The legal route is effectively blocked for Star Wars Galaxies enthusiasts, which means that fans can attempt to take comfort in the next best thing: a petition. The cleverly titled "Do Not Permanently Shut Down Star Wars Galaxies" decree suggests SOE experiment with alternatives to a game shutdown, including transforming the game into a free to play model. As of writing, there have been over 2800 signatures.

Unfortunately, it's likely the petition will fall on deaf ears. "We also recognize the fact that Lucasarts is currently licensing part of it's intellectual property to Bioware and Electronic Arts for use in an upcoming MMO release," the petition states, referencing the impending release of The Old Republic. "We believe that the two licenses can co-exist, and should be allowed to do so." Realistically, though, it seems like much too lofty of a proposition.